Snow-clearing machine.



A. MASON. SNOW CLEARING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1909.

954,118, Patented Apr.5,1910

WITNESSES INVENTOR W .A /LM V ANUELW u wmmm LU PHOTO-LWHOGF'AFHERSWAtZmNGTCIL D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT MASON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-SIXTI-IS 'lO PHILLIS FULLER, TWO-SIXTHS TO RANDOLPH EGGLESTON, AND ONE-SIXTH TO THORNTON M. MASON, ALL OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SNOW-CLEARING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT MASON, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Snow-Clearing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to snow clearing machines, and has special reference to plows on the same for use on streets and other like highways.

The obj eat of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and eflicient form of a snowplow which can be applied to the ordinary approved street sweeping machine and interchangeable with the usual revoluble sweeping brush mounted at an oblique angle thereon, as well as one which will be enabled to pass over the usual projections, obstructions and unevenness in the streets.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement, construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more specifically set forth and described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and use my improved snow plow, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved snow clearing machine. Fig. 2 is an end view of the snow plow employed. Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of the machine.

Like symbols of reference herein indlcate like parts in each of the figures of the drawing.

As illustrated in the drawing, 1 represents the ordinary approved construction of a vehicle or machine which is generally employed in street sweeping and is provided with the front and rear wheels 2 and 3, respectively. Secured upon the vehicle 1 is the bed frame 4 on which the platform 5 for the operator is mounted, and j ournaled obliquely in said frame is the rocking crankbar 6, which is raised and lowered by a lever 7 mounted on the shaft portion 6' of the crank-bar 6 and extending over the platform 5 for operating by the foot of the operator seated on said platform. Loosely hung from each of the crank portions 6 of the crank Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 13, 1909.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Serial No. 527,817.

bar 6 is the U-shaped supporting frame 8, which is also raised and lowered with the bar 6 through being connected to said crank portions by the two chains 9 one of which engages with the one end of main portion 8 on said frame 8, and the other with one of the end portions 8 on said frame. The frame 8 is also set on the same oblique line as the bar 6 and parallel therewith for supporting and carrying the snow-plow hereinafter described, and is pivotally connected to the shafts 3 and 20 respectively, through arms 9 on said frame.

The snow-plow is shown at 10 and is mounted on the same oblique line as the bar 6 and frame 8, by being journaled in the end portions 8 on the frame 8 through a shaft 11 forming part of said plow. EX- tending around and mounted upon the shaft 11 is the hub 12, which is of rectangular shape and has the supporting posts or standards 13 projecting radially out from each of its sides 12. Connected to one side of the supporting posts 13 on each of the sides 12 is a blade or plate let of spring metal, such as steel, and such plate is preferably detachably secured to said posts by means of the bolts 15. These plates M are adapted to extend beyond theouter ends of the posts 13, as at 14, and are sufficiently resilient, so as to bend at such outer ends 14 in passing over obstructions or other raised portions or imperfections in the street, as shown in Fig. 2, while each of such plates is preferably placed on its posts so as to be on the front side of the same when in its position for clearing the snow, as shown in said figure, and is also preferably of such a width that it extends to the hub 12 and thereby prevents any snow from passing through the plow and between such blades and hub when the plow is in operation.

The snow-plow 10 is revolved in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2, by means of a sprocket-wheel 17 mounted on the shaft 11, which wheel has a sprocket chain 18 passing around the same and around a sprocket-wheel 19 on a shaft 20 journaled in the frame 4, and a pinion 21 is mounted on the shaft 20 for meshing with a gear-wheel 22 mounted on the aXle 3 carrying the rear wheels 3, while such plow 10 is operated in its revolutions through the medium of the sprocket and gearing just described and by means of a clutch member 23 rigidly mounted on the shaft 20 being adapted to be engaged by a sliding clutch member 24: on said shaft through a lever 25 being connected thereto.

In the operation of my improved snow clearing machine the snow-plow 10 is lowered to the surface of the street through the raising of the lever 7, which will act to lower the rocking bar 6 and frame 8 carrying said plow, and when in such position with the clutch member 24 in engagement with like member 23 on the shaft 20 through the lever 25, the said plow will be revolved through the movement of the vehicle 1, such movement being imparted to the shafts 11 and 20 from the axle 3 of such vehicle through the sprocket-wheels 17, 19, chain 18 and gearing 21 and 22 and thus revolve said plow. When the plow 10 is thus revolved the snow in the street will be thrown to the outer end of the plow and into rows on the street by the blades 14 and such snow can then be placed in piles or gathered in any suitable manner and hauled away. When the plow 10 is not desired to be placed in operation, it can be raised from the street through disconnecting the clutch members 22 and 23 and lowering the lever 7 which will act to raise the frames 6 and 8 and with the frame 8 the said plow carried thereby.

It will thus be seen that my improved snow clearing machine will enable the plowing of snow from streets, alleys and other highways, so that such snow will be placed into rows where it can be piled if desired, and gathered into vehicles to be hauled away to a suitable dumping place, or into the sewers of cities and towns, as the case may be,-while the device will also enable the complete and thorough clearing of the snow from the streets, alleys etc., into the rows. It will also be seen that in my improved snow clearing machine the device for plowing the snow into rows is of such a construction as will enable the blades of the same to ride over any obstructions or unevenness in the streets, alleys etc., by reason of the springy outer ends of the metal blades on said plow having sufficient resiliency to overcome such interferences, so that practically all the snow in the path of the plow will be caught and moved along the blades to the rows. The plow being of such a con struction and form is applied to the ordinary form of vehicle street sweepers by being interchangeable with the sweeping brushes of the same, which can be changed from one to the other easily and quickly, through the shafts of the same being each supplied with the same sized sprocket-wheel on the end of the same for being connected up to the operating mechanism, and thereby enabling the same machine to be used for sweeping the streets or plowing the snow,

as desired, so saving a great cost in machines and labor for performing this class of work. It will further be obvious that in case of wear 011 the street bearing ends of the blades they can be adjusted outwardly on the posts 13 through the bolts 15 allowing the positioning of said blades by the slots 15 in the same in case of wear or truing up the same, as shown in Fig. 2, or such plates can be removed from the plow and replaced thereon through the detachable connection formed between the posts and blades by said bolts.

Various other modifications and changes in the design and construction of my improved snow clearing machine may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In a snow clearing machine, the combination with a vehicle, of a revoluble snowplow set at an oblique angle on said vehicle and adapted to be raised and lowered therefrom, said plow consisting of a shaft provided with radial supports extending out therefrom and having straight longitudinal and parallel blades of spring metal projecting beyond the outer ends thereof, and means connected to said shaft and to said vehicle for revolving said plow.

2. In a snow clearing machine, the combination with a vehicle of a revoluble snowplow set at an oblique angle on said vehicle and adapted to be raised and lowered thereon, said plow consisting of a shaft provided with radial supports extending out therefrom and having straight longitudinal and parallel blades of spring metal connected to said supports and projecting beyond the outer ends of the same, and mechanism connected to said shaft and to said vehicle for revolving said plow.

3. In a snow clearing machine, the combination with a vehicle, of a revoluble snowplow set at an oblique angle on said vehicle and adapted to be raised and lowered thereon, said plow consisting of a shaft provided with radial supports extending out therefrom and having straight longitudinaland parallel blades of spring metal relnovably connected to said supports and projecting beyond the outer ends of the same, and mechanism connected to said shaft and to said vehicle for revolving said plow.

4;. I11 a snow clearing machine, the combination with a vehicle of a revoluble snowplow set at an oblique angle on said vehicle and adapted to be raised and lowered thereon, said plow consisting of a shaft provided with radial supports extending out therefrom and having straight longitudinal and parallel blades of spring metal removably and adjustably connected to said supports and projecting beyond the outer ends of the same, and mechanism connected to said shaft through slots in said blades and projecting and to said vehicle for revolving said plow. beyond the outer ends of said supports, and 5. In a street clearing machine, the commechanism connected to said shaft and to bination with a vehicle, of a revoluble snowsaid vehicle for revolving said plow. 15 5 plow set at an oblique angle on said vehicle In testimony whereof, I, the said ALBERT and adaptled to be raised aknd llowfered therei MASON, have hereunto set my hand. on, saic p ow consisting o a sia t provider with radial supports extending out there- ALBERT MASON from and having straight longitudinal and Witnesses: 10 parallel blades of spring metal removably J. N. (3001113,

and adjustably bolted to said supports JAMES L. WVEHN. 

